Using the integration of Nolen-Hoeksema's Response Style Theory of Depression and the Coyne's Interactional Model of Depression as the theoretical framework, this cross-sectional correlational designed study aimed to investigate how gender, ruminative response style, and excessive reassurance-seeking predicted depressive symptoms and perceived interpersonal rejection in Thai individuals. The sample was 130 psychiatric outpatients between 18 and 79 years of age, who had been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder at least once. Path analysis was used to test whether ruminative response style and excessive reassurance-seeking mediate the effect of gender on the severity of depressive symptoms and to determine the model fit and to test the predictive power of the proposed variables and their interaction terms in predicting perceived interpersonal rejection. The findings confirmed that ruminative response style was present more in women than in men. Ruminative response style was a strong predictor of depressive symptoms and it mediated the effect of gender on depressive symptoms. Gender, depressive symptoms, and their interaction term had strong direct effects on perceived interpersonal rejection while age, gender, number of perceived depressive episodes, and ruminative response style exerted its indirect effect on perceived interpersonal rejection through depressive symptoms. Gender, then, had both direct and indirect effects on the perceived interpersonal rejection. Excessive reassurance seeking appeared to correlate with depressive symptoms only because of its association with ruminative response style and did not have a significant effect on perceived interpersonal rejection. There was a less clear picture how excessive reassurance-seeking was associated with depressive symptoms and perceived interpersonal rejection. The study provided evidence for incorporating gender and ruminative response style in the design of an intervention to decrease depressive symptoms and perceived interpersonal rejection in Thai men and women who suffer depression.Ph.D.Health and Environmental SciencesNursingPublic healthUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/125993/2/3224848.pd
